Track Visits, Pitch Chart Entry + Legend Question

[plivengood]

I have a couple of enhancement requests, and a question.

First, I was at a tournament last week where they had an unusual rule on the number of visits a manager could make before having to remove the pitcher (with visits where the pitcher is removed not counting), and it occurred to me that it would be useful to have, on the options page, a way to set the number of visits, and whether that is per pitcher, per inning, or per game. Of course there would also have to be a way to track this (perhaps by tapping the pitcher?).

Second, at least for my own team, I try to track pitch type and location (and have previously suggested enhancements for different kinds of individual pitcher vs. batter reports, and vice versa, as well as ways to separate out this function to a separate program or iScore user, which could then be shared or combined on the new website). Occasionally, another parent or coach will have a radar gun at the game and I will carefully try to track not just pitch type, but speed as well. the speed wheel in 2.0+ is an improvement, but could be still better. Is there a way that, once I mark the first fastball (for instance) at say, 70 mph, that for subsequent "fastball" selections it will default to that speed? This makes for much more minor adjustments and the ability to move through necessary further "taps" much quicker.

Finally, my question: I used Quick Roster for the first time at that same tournament, and had a few issues. One of them (trying to change "Player 1" and so forth to names through Player Manager, rather than Misc-Show Starting Line-up, didn't work) I have seen addressed on the boards this past week. Live and learn. But I'm still not sure about this: How do you set up Quick Roster when you don't know how many active players the other team will have? Can you deault to some larger-than-needed number (say 15) and then adjust the line-up to show the final three or four as "not batting" if/when you get a line-up, or see the #1 batter come up again? Please advise on the proper protocol....

[FTMSupport]

For your first question about the "mound visits", we are really trying to avoid "rule enforcement" in iScore as there are just too many custom rules in the various little leagues, etc. What we do try to accomplish is allowing people to score games within their rules. Rules are up to the umpire to enforce. As long as the result of the rule can be recorded in iScore (i.e. you CAN make the enforced substitution when it occurs), that is what we try and capture. Our next release does include the ability to add notes, so in the case of a pitcher change because of a rule, if you want to make a notation of that while scoring, you will be able to do that.

The pitch selection enhancements are good ones. Keeping the "range" of speeds per pitch type and having iScore try to make that be the default range shown when a particular pitch type is selected is good. The only tricky part may be that some people may enter speed first, then pitch type, so we will have to track if someone already entered the speed, then clicks pitch type, we would not want to "reset" the speed selection. (as an fyi... since you mentioned radar guns... we are actually working on some technology now to take radar gun readings directly into iScore.)

For Quick Roster... we are going to work on a way to make updating the names easier than having to go to Misc-Show Starting Lineup as that can be a bit cumbersome. Especially if you do most of the scoring from the pitch screen in which case you have to scroll back to the "field scoring" screen to click the button (an extra step). When you don't know how many players the other team will have, it is generally best to over-guess, then remove players as needed. No matter what, if you get it wrong, you can always add/remove players from the Misc-Show Starting Lineup screen, but it is probably easier to remove 1 or 2 players that it is to add 1 or 2 (which requires typing).

[plivengood]

With all due respect, while tracking mound visits is about "rule enforcement" on one level it is a rule that scorers are often asked to track and it could be easily tracked in iScore. All you have to do is add a part to options for Mound Visits, then select the number, then choose from "per inning," "per pitcher" or "per game." Then add a tab to Misc (probably) when there is a mound visit.

Most umpires, especially at lower levels, do not track this stuff but most managers want scorers to do it so they can take advantage of an opponent who runs afoul of whatever the rule is. This is something that is easily noted in a paper book, and if there is no way to do it electronically, is an impediment to using/implementing iScore, IMO.

On the pitch selection - I agree that the order in which pitch speed is entered (before or after pitch type) would matter, but wouldn't the pitch range default simply change once you enter the proper pitch? Or, even be a prompt to change the pitch? I am *very* excited to hear there is an attempt to take radar readings directly into iScore. Would that be by connecting a radar gun (either wirelessly or by some form of USB) to an iPhone or iTouch, or would it be some actual app (presumably through a video camera - so maybe this is anticipating future iPhone/iTouch capability we don't have now) that can produce a radar reading that could work in conjunction with iScore?

As for Quick Roster, I just had this happen to me yesterday - I entered a team as a Qucik Roster with 10 players, double-header, then use the same roster (with updated names/numbers) for Game 2, but they anticiapte a player showing up mid-game and will simply be adding to the end of the line-up (which is *very* common in informal Fall Ball leagues where kids are coming from football or soccer). I saw no wa to add a player from the Misc-Show Line-up screen. IMO, adding more felxibility to handle these situations is a high priority enhancement.

[FTMSupport]

We will add "mound visit counting" to our list, but honestly, as of right now, it is going to be low priority. This is the only request we have had for this. If other people start requesting this, we will adjust the priority accordingly.

For the pitch range, it is likely that if someone entered the pitch speed first, then selected the pitch type, it would likely still be within the range... it is just something we need to be careful of.

With the radar gun, we can't get too specific because it is likely something we will be creating a patent on, but for those that are interested, it will be a great way to get the information. The plan is that the radar gun info will come directly into iScore while scoring a game.

To add a player to the lineup, you would go to Misc-Show Line up, and at the very top is an "Add Player" option. Click that, then click New Player, and you can create a new player to add to the lineup.

[plivengood]

I understand - it is a minor request and apparently I am the only one requesting this (though I find that hard to believe, at least at lower/youth levels).

I completely forgot to put in the legend question. Is there any shading difference for a swinging strike vs. a foul ball with less than two strikes? Or is that just recorded as a swinging strike? Mostly just curious. I don't currently do this, but some may find it useful to be able to track "no contact" strikes as opposed to foul ball strikes.

[FTMSupport]

Yes, there actually IS a slight variation, and we should actually update the legend to note that. A "swinging strike" is indicated with a red background on the scoresheet. A foul ball is indicated with a yellow background on the scoresheet if it is one of the first two strikes (otherwise it is indicated as an "x" which you would know was a foul ball). Some people do like to know whether it was a complete "whiff" or a foul ball.

Good catch.